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How to Enable Freeform Floating Window Feature on Android 7.0 Nougat

Android Nougat comes with a bunch of new features including the split screen functionality. However, Google will be adding new features including the freeform floating window. Thanks to a new app one could taste the freeform floating feature on the Android Nougat without rooting the phone.

Android Nougat comes with a bunch of new features including the split screen functionality. However, Google will be adding new features including the freeform floating window. Thanks to a new app one could taste the freeform floating feature on the Android Nougat without rooting the phone.

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Android Nougat is finally available on a select few devices and the seventh iteration of Android brings along with it a slew of new features. Just like always there are a few hidden features in the Android 7.0 as well. Floating screen is one such feature that can be activated without the need to give root access. The Floating screen will let you open multiple applications on the Android 7.0 and work on them simultaneously, much like the split screen functionality but with support for more than two apps. Also, it is most likely that this is the “freeform” windows mode Google has been hinting about.

The prerequisites to activate this feature include Android 7.0 Nougat and Taskbar app from Playstore.

1. Enabling Developer options-While some of us might have already activated the Developers Options here is how even you can do so. Go to Settings>About phone>Build number (tap seven times.) Now return to the settings menu and here you will see that “Developer Option has been activated.”

2. Go to Developers Option and enable “Force activities to be resizable”

3. It’s recommended that you reboot your device for the changes to take place.

5. After installing the app open and enable the “Freeform window support” option.

6. Now enable the taskbar and exit the application. Now you will be able to see an app drawer at the corner left of your home screen along with a trigger to pull it out. Clear all your recent apps (this is very important)

7. Tap on the app drawer and a list of all your apps will appear, make sure that the icons from the home screen disappear when the app drawer is open like shown in the screenshot above.

8. Select the apps that you want to see in the floating form and resize the windows as per your convenience.

The feature is yet to be announced officially which means that the floating windows might be a bit buggy. I was able to simultaneously open and access 3-4 apps comfortably but the panning and the resizing features were still jittery. That said, this is a feature that most of the phablet and tablet owners would love to have.

Mahit Huilgol is a Mechanical Engineering graduate and is a Technology and Automobile aficionado. He ditched the Corporate boardroom wars in the favor for technology battle ground. Also a foodie by heart and loves both the edible chips and the non-edible silicon chips.